


Brass Bed

by ValkyriaRising



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Angst, Because that's the only acceptable timeline don't @ me, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Other characters are mentioned briefly, Premarital Sex, Revelations, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-23 03:45:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17675831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyriaRising/pseuds/ValkyriaRising
Summary: Xander sought Noelle out to apologize for his stubbornness, believing she would push him away like he deserved, but his commander was full of surprises.





	Brass Bed

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to play Fates again and I just keep falling back in love with this beautiful bastard. As per the title, this was inspired by the song [ Brass Bed ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asi0odjRZzA) by Josh Gracin.
> 
> Noelle and (though she is mentioned briefly) Etsuko are my FE:F OC's who I love dearly and definitely don't write about enough. Enjoy! And feedback is welcome and appreciated <3 -Valk

He hadn’t stopped staring at her since he had arrived at the bridge below where the skies change.

She was actually _here_ in front of him and he wondered now if she could forgive him.  

Xander’s heart hadn’t stopped aching since Noelle had disappeared from the castle, telling him she had to leave—that Corrin was right and she couldn’t stand being the commander of an army who was ordered to slaughter innocent people. He had scoffed at her then, unable to see how far gone his father was—unable to believe that Nohr’s king would give orders contrary to what was good for their people, but he knew now that he had been wrong. An unfortunate consequence of a change in circumstances he had purposefully blinded himself to.

Now, they were standing in the hidden kingdom of Valla after free-falling through the Bottomless Canyon. Noelle had smiled at him mischievously before gracefully falling backwards into open air, her gray eyes silently telling him to have faith. She promised that, no matter how this ended, she’d see him on the other side—whatever that other side may be.

The prince’s heart had skipped a beat when he watched her disappear over the edge and into the darkness below, but he had come too far only to not follow. If this was his end then so be it—he hoped whatever afterlife he was met with—if there was one—that she’d be there.

She had never broken a promise before—at least he knew that now, too. Had you asked him that a month ago, he would have called her a traitor and a deserter, but hindsight was 20/20 and she had yet to break her promise to protect Nohr in it’s darkest hour. That’s what they were here for, after all.

When he had opened his eyes at the bottom, he had expected to be met with darkness—an unending, eerie darkness that meant death wasn’t far away. Instead, he was met with a view of Noelle reaching down for him, offering a hand so he could pull himself up and take in the new world around them. She had smiled at him then, too, and his heart had skipped a beat as he searched her face for some kind of malice or anger or contempt, but he only found what seemed to be relief and concern reflected in her beautiful eyes.

She had never looked more alive than when they were running from the Valla soldiers, either; her gait was urgent, but each step was purposeful. Her eyes followed Corrin and Azura as they rushed through the ancient forests and ruins of what seemed to be a once great civilization, always turning back every now and then to make sure everyone was able to keep up and that they weren’t being followed. He was sure she was planning escape routes and battle plans in her head with every obstacle they encountered—it’s why she had made an excellent commander, after all, but the crown prince felt at ease knowing she was back at his side.  

They had eventually stumbled upon another castle—slightly less decrepit than the others with mostly functional walls and a stable ceiling—and decided to rest there for the night after determining they were no longer being followed, needing shelter from the unexpected rain that had begun to fall and determining that escaping to the astral plane was too dangerous—Corrin didn’t want to let any Vallite soldiers in on accident.

They knew they couldn’t stay in one place for long, but Elise and Sakura were growing increasingly tired and Leo and Takumi were quick to make their discontent with the constant running apparent. Everyone could at least get a few hours of rest—that might put them in better spirits.

But Xander wasn’t tired—the insomnia had come from spending countless nights awake training, his blade bathed in moonlight while his forehead was bathed in sweat. He had a kingdom to protect and that always weighed heavily on his shoulders—the only respite was that Noelle had been there with him then, too, offering to be his sparring partner on nights when the memories of blood-stained battlefield bled into her dreams and she found herself staring at the ceiling, unable to rid her mind of the images of her soldiers lying dead on the grass.

He knew she always beat herself up for making bad calls, not being able to save them—not being able to defend them. He had told her that was the price of conflict—the price of protecting a kingdom, but she had just given him a sad smile, raising her sword and tome in preparation for his assault.

Now, the crown prince of Nohr was walking the castle halls looking for his commander, intent on apologizing for his short sightedness in case he didn’t get a chance later. It probably wasn’t wise—drifting away from his siblings and Corrin’s friends, but he was sure they could fend for themselves. Etsuko and Ryoma were there, regardless, and that was enough to rid him of any uneasiness that floated in the back of his mind. He had experienced firsthand how skilled both the crown prince of Hoshido and the captain of the Hoshidan royal guard were.

Their kingdoms may have been enemies in the past, but he respected Ryoma—Xander knew what it was like being in his position all too well. They were more alike than they realized, but Xander wasn’t ready to admit that to himself just yet, though the thought crossed his mind, causing a small smile to creep onto his face; had they met under better circumstance, they likely would’ve been friends. He hoped he’d see the day when Takumi and Leo got along, too.

The smell of rose and lavender drew Xander out of his thoughts and he caught the flicker of light down the hallway out of the corner of his eye. He was quick to track it, coming upon a door just around the corner, slightly ajar, but open just enough to where he could peek inside.

He found the room bathed in a faint glow—the candles scattered about the room highlighting the surrounding area with just enough light to make out the faint outline of a bed in the back corner and a small, wooden dresser in the opposite corner. A cracked window sat between them and he could make out the faint outline of a ward surrounding the pane, likely meant to reinforce the glass and keep their enemies out. He could see the rain pouring down outside and the soft pitter-patter of the downpour against the window brought him a bit of comfort.

A familiar shadow moved across the stone floor and he pushed the door open, making enough noise to alert Noelle to his entrance, not wanting to scare her. She looked up as he entered, smiling softly as she closed the tome strapped to her side, dismissing the fire in the palm of her hand.

“I’m not keen on sleeping in the dark when we’re fighting enemies we can barely see,” she mused, scanning her handiwork, crossing her arms across her chest. “Besides—shadows don’t lie.”

“I see your cleverness has yet to escape you,” he chided playfully, watching as she shrugged and unstrapped her sword from her belt, propping it up against the wall beside the bed before doing the same with her tome.

“Did you expect any less,” she asked, raising a mock-offended eyebrow when she turned back to the Nohrian prince, her gray eyes slowly scanning him, making sure he was unhurt, though noting the way his shoulders seemed to sag a bit from what she was sure was exhaustion.

“From you? Of course not.”

Noelle nodded in approval at his answer, moving past him to quietly close the door, leaning her forehead and forearms on it once it was shut, finally letting out a bated breath. She hadn’t had time to breathe properly since they had woken up here, much less relax her aching muscles in relative peace and quiet.

There was a long pause as Xander examined her again, admiring the curve of her back and noting the tension in her neck as she rested against the door, eyes closed. He would get it over with—leave her in peace.

“Noelle I-,” but she was quick to interrupt him.

“Don’t.” His brow furrowed in confusion and he opened his mouth again, but the Nohrian commander pushed herself off of the door, deftly turning on her heel and approaching him.

“Not right now—don’t,” she continued, reaching up to cup his face, the pained look on her face enough to break his heart. “Whatever mistakes you feel like you’ve made—whatever you feel like you need to say to me to make things right—don’t. I forgive you. I’ll keep forgiving you for whatever mistakes you make until the day I die.”

“I don’t deserve that forgiveness,” he replied, reaching up to place his large hand over one of her much smaller ones, leaning into her touch and closing his eyes, relishing in the feeling of her warm skin pressed against his. “I should have listened to you—should have trusted you when you said something wasn’t right.”

“You can’t change it. I know you wanted what you thought was best for Nohr—so did I. That’s why we’re _both_ here— _now_. That’s better than I could have asked for.”

“Watching you walk away should have been my first clue that I should have followed this time instead of led.”

“Walking away was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” she murmured, resting a palm on his chest just over his heart, the metal of his armor cold under her palm. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again—afraid that if I did it was because we’d be burying our blades in each other’s chests.”

That gave Xander pause and he gently interlaced his fingers with the hand over his heart, kissing her palm, then her wrist, before moving up her arm to her shoulder, his lips eventually finding the sensitive skin of her neck. Noelle felt her skin tingle at the intimate gesture, sparking the flame in her core.

“I’d rather bury my sword in my own chest before I’d ever hurt you, little princess,” he whispered against her skin.

Her breath caught in her throat at the pleasantry and she tilted her head back ever so slightly, allowing him better access as he nipped and sucked gently at her flushed skin, kissing his way up her jaw, attempting to capture her lips. She pushed gently on his chest, forcing him to take a step back, but she followed through, guiding him back towards the brass bed in the back corner. The back of Xander’s knees met the edge of the bed and he sat back, his hands coming to rest on Noelle’s hips as she crawled into his lap, straddling his hips.

“I’ve wanted you for so long, but the kingdom…,” he murmured, looking her up and down almost desperately, uncertainty flashing in his brown eyes.

“We’re not in Nohr anymore.”

“No, I suppose we’re not,” he mused, the small smile that graced his lips causing Noelle’s heart to skip a beat.

She dove down this time, capturing his lips fully, tangling her fingers in his golden hair and giving it a teasing tug, causing Xander to elicit an unexpected growl, the sound going straight to the apex of her thighs. He was quick to bite playfully at her bottom lip, his hands gliding teasingly just above the smooth skin of her thighs, seemingly unsure of where he should touch her—what she wanted.

Noelle could feel his normally steady hands shaking when she took them in her own, finding it endearing, guiding them under her armor, craving his touch. He may have been a bastion on the battlefield and a beast with a sword, but Noelle would find that he was a surprisingly gentle and attentive lover.

Xander felt like wherever he touched her, he would poison her—taint her pale skin with the blood on his hands and soil whatever righteousness had guided her here, where he _should’ve_ been, but uncertainty had clouded his judgement and the heaviness in his heart refused to fade, even when Noelle said she had forgiven him.

He let out an unsteady breath, pulling his hands away momentarily, suppressing a smile at the disgruntled huff Noelle gave, though she quieted as she watched him remove his gloves, the sound that left her mouth one that he would never forget when his bare hands met her burning skin. She was breathing quicker now, the rise and fall of her chest enticing enough to make Xander forget any regrets or qualms he may have had for now. With Hoshido at his side now, he had a new conquest in mind.

Somehow, though, as he stripped her of her armor and dragged his calloused hands over the delicate expanses of her scarred skin, he realized all of their evenings spent laughing and brushing shoulders as they planned troop movements and all of their late nights spent sparring had culminated in making her far more than a conquest.

Looking at her now, her blonde hair splayed out across the mattress around her head like a halo and her gray eyes glowing in the candlelight, she could pass for a goddess—the pinnacle of grace and innocence.

But her flushed cheeks and the sounds falling from her slightly parted lips said otherwise as he pumped his fingers in and out of her wet slit, sitting between her parted legs, his strong thighs forcing her to present her wet pussy to him.

It was a striking realization—one that should have hit him far earlier, the spark when they first kissed having finally clued him in on the simple fact that he _loved_ her.

But he wouldn’t admit it to her—not tonight—not now when everything else in their lives was uncertain, but he would soon. She was pulling at the sheets now, her head tilted back and her entire body trembling—so close to her release. He’d never heard her beg before, but her soft voice and intoxicating tone was music to his ears and he finally obliged when she dug her nails into his wrist, sweat dripping down the delicate curves of her bare breasts as her chest heaved.

Xander was content to watch her orgasm consume her, feeling her clench around his fingers as pleasure burned through her veins—a feeling she hadn’t experienced in so long she forgot how good it felt to have _someone else_ drag it out of her. He couldn’t help the satisfaction that settled inside of him as he watched pure bliss consume every fiber of her being. He’d be lying if he said the thought of what she would look like under him hadn’t crossed his mind, but his imagination couldn’t even compare to the sounds she was making, the way her back arched gracefully off of the bed and the way she shivered and squirmed when his mouth found her left nipple, his tongue teasing it to a peak as he rode with her through her high.

Noelle collapsed against the bed gasping for air moments later, her nerves on fire, the hand Xander had interlaced with one of hers providing a loving squeeze. When she opened her eyes, he was licking the fingers on his opposite hand clean, the action causing a slight blush to highlight her cheeks that didn’t go unnoticed, causing him to smirk.

The high prince of Nohr considered it a privilege to see her like this—his commander naked, stripped of any indication of her rank and left bare in front of him at his mercy, but only on her terms.

He wanted her.

He _needed_ her.

He hoped she felt the same.

“Xander-”

Fuck the way his name left her lips—he had heard it thousands of times before, but this was time it left her mouth effortlessly, breathlessly, _desperately_ and for once their titles didn’t get in the way. To her he was just Xander—not Prince Xander, not your highness, not my liege—just Xander.

“-take me.”

It was a request he could hardly refuse, especially with the way she was looking at him now, nails raking down his abs to the hem of his trousers and eyes gazing up at him expectantly through thick lashes.

They could pretend later their first time was indeed their wedding night if they lived to see the day—but he’d be a fool to deny a request like that.

“Gladly, little princess.”

He was quick to gather her small wrists in his much larger hands, pinning them just above her head, his face finding respite in the crook of her neck as he pressed a tender kiss to her collarbone. Noelle pulled against his grip, but found her attempts futile—not that she minded, as her attention was quickly stolen by Xander pulling his cock out, running the head teasingly through her wet folds. The look she gave him in response nearly made him laugh out loud, her eyes glaring daggers at him and silently promising his end if he didn’t move.

They both groaned when he pushed inside, Xander relishing in her warmth as it enveloped him, an excited tremble wracking Noelle’s body in response as he buried himself slowly to the hilt. She felt unbelievably full—felt whole for once in her life as if he was meant to be there. She watched with satisfaction as the crown prince’s chocolate eyes fell closed, his brow furrowing as if the feeling was almost too much for him.

His inexperience would show eventually, but he was no fool—not wanting to move out of fear he would hurt her, so he took a moment to relish in the feeling of how perfectly they fit together, how tightly she squeezed around his cock, sending a wave of pleasure up his spine. Noelle took a shuddering breath, adjusting to his size, moving to slowly roll her hips once she was comfortable, her eyes falling closed as she finally got what she had been desperately craving for so long— _him._

They met in the middle again and again, Xander thrusting into her from the tip of his cock to the hilt and back with precision matched only by his swordsmanship. The Nohrian prince had every intention of dragging every moan and whimper he could get out of her, but she was doing just the same to him, unwilling to go so quietly into the rainy night and fall so willingly under his ministrations.

He had wanted this—wanted her for so many years that it felt like a dream and now that he was finally buried inside of her, responsible for every needy gasp and wanton mewl that fell from her pretty pink lips, he couldn’t help, but feel guilty after all of this time.

She looked far more incredible in this position than he had ever given her credit for in his head, her breasts bouncing each time his hips met hers and her body quivering as he filled her completely, her true other half that she missed dearly in the split second that he left her empty before filling her again. Xander didn’t deserve her and he decided their first time couldn’t be their last—they would see the light of day again, see their kingdom again and bring news of peace with them.

And he would make up for all of his past mistakes—refusing to accept her forgiveness. It was just another thing he wasn’t worthy of accepting.

“X-Xander I-I-,” Noelle’s voice trembled as she tried to form a coherent thought, pulling harder on his grip now, her head tilted back as she let out unabashed moans.

“Say it again.” He couldn’t get over the way his name sounded rolling off of her tongue.

“F-fuck _Xander_.”

It came out as a warning that time, he realized, and he finally chose to release her wrists, a satisfied groan rumbling up from his chest when her hands went immediately to his blond hair, pulling him down to kiss her, each of them swallowing every sound the other made.

Xander has watched her cum once, but feeling it around him was beyond heavenly and pulled him over the edge, too. He spilled inside of her as she quivered, soaking up the quiet chant of his name that fell from her lips as she rode her high with him, her legs locked around his hips and his face buried in the crook of her neck.

They stayed like that for another moment, unsteady breathing filling the air. Xander moved to rest his forehead against hers as she ran her fingertips idly across his shoulders and over the muscles of his upper back, appreciating the power they held—the power she had felt. The Nohrian prince closed his eyes, drinking in the feeling of her fingers on his skin and her body pressed against his—it was better than he could have ever imagined.

The prince was loathe to move away from her warmth, but he was sure she was growing uncomfortable under his weight and their skin had grown sticky from dried sweat, so he peeled away from her, running an idle, calloused hand from her shoulder down her chest and abdomen to her hip, giving her a loving squeeze. The small smile and shiver he was met with made his heart skip a beat. She looked exhausted, but content, with half-lidded eyes fluttering closed as she laid back.

Xander moved to the edge of the brass-framed bed, intent on getting dressed and going to check on his siblings and their friends, scanning the clothes and armor that were scattered across the stone floor to determine what belonged to him.

“Stay with me.”

It was said in a sleepy voice—one he would soon find that he could never get enough of on early mornings when the sun had barely peeked over the horizon and they had nowhere to be and nothing to do just yet.

Glancing over his shoulder at her again, he realized she may have looked stunning at any other time of the day, but she looked devastatingly gorgeous bathed in dim candlelight, trapped in a post-sex haze with her hair burning golden and her stormy gray eyes seemingly on fire themselves. The rain falling outside battered the window, the sound filling the comfortable silence that had settled, calming Xander’s still racing heart.

He nodded.


End file.
